Kara is a trained social worker who runs Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance (OKHA), a non-profit dedicated to securing healthy home environments for kids and their families. Kara is a political outsider with real leadership experience who knows how to create policy, prepare and stick to a budget, and always puts people first. In addition to OKHA, Kara also led Extra Hands for ALS, whose mission is to fund research for Lou Gehrig’s disease. Kara cares about the environment and is often referred to as a “climate hawk” by her supporters.

Kara is incredibly passionate about her work and here’s something that blew me away when I spoke with her; when I asked her why she was running, she told me plain and simple, “I am running because I am desperate–not desperate for a job, but desperate for our country–and in particular for our kids…I want to make a difference.” Kara wants to create an environment where people can be themselves and thrive. She wants to create the America that she tells her daughter about; where people care for one another, value innovation and diversity, and you can become what you want to be.

I recently traveled to Omaha to talk to a group about my new book, Letter to Lucy: A Manifesto of Creative Redemption—In the Age of Trump, Fascism and Lies, and to screen a documentary made about me called Let Me Be Frank: The Traitorous Turnabout of an Evangelical Heir Apparent. While I was in town, I was able to continue my Road Trip to Take Back the House in 2018 and had the great honor to sit and talk with a candidate for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd District who I think you will really love: Kara Eastman.Kara is a trained social worker who runs Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance (OKHA), a non-profit dedicated to securing healthy home environments for kids and their families. Kara is a political outsider with real leadership experience who knows how to create policy, prepare and stick to a budget, and always puts people first. In addition to OKHA, Kara also led Extra Hands for ALS, whose mission is to fund research for Lou Gehrig's disease. Kara cares about the environment and is often referred to as a "climate hawk" by her supporters.Kara is incredibly passionate about her work and here's something that blew me away when I spoke with her; when I asked her why she was running, she told me plain and simple, "I am running because I am desperate–not desperate for a job, but desperate for our country–and in particular for our kids…I want to make a difference." Kara wants to create an environment where people can be themselves and thrive. She wants to create the America that she tells her daughter about; where people care for one another, value innovation and diversity, and you can become what you want to be.Discover my new book, "Letter to Lucy: A Manifesto of Creative Redemption in The Age of Trump, Fascism and Lies," now available on Amazon:- On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2FvJMsn – On iBooks: https://apple.co/2xB4tml

Discover my new book Letter to Lucy: A Manifesto of Creative Redemption—In the Age of Trump, Fascism and Lies, a multi-touch book about art, love and parenting, from the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the prophetic music of Green Day and everything in between. Read the first chapter for free on your kindle fire or iOS device. Available now on iBooks and Amazon.

The trick Nine is to know which battles are worth fighting .. a lesson I’m afraid Frank has yet to learn as he desperately in an abject exercise in futility tries to erase and eradicate both his and Francis’s past participation in the de-evolution of the evangelical church .

Fact is .. its time for Frank to mature … take a lesson or two from Zen/the Bible … realize everyone has a past …. and that the only sane recourse is to move on … rather than trying to correct it once initial amends have been made .

Cause right now … all Frank is doing is wasting a lot of time , money energy and effort on these political races for which he has ZERO influence … rather than focusing on that which he doe so well .

So since Frank .. the good Ms Abadie etc have yet to comment on it .. and since there is a woman involved in this article/video making my comment at least somewhat relevant .. I’ll make my opinion known about the latest round of women’s marches ;

They can be summed up as being ” Much Ado About Nothing ” … with the press across the board all but ignoring them … while Trump played them right into his back pocket like a cheap violin ..

Why you may ask !

1) Zero Focus … along with far too many conflicting agendas .. ultimately proving to be just another round of Identity Politics … which only serves to create more division .. rather than bringing people together in order to deal with THE clear and present danger .. that being .. Trump & Co

2) As they say in real estate … Location – Location- Location … which this round of marches was sourly lacking .. preaching to the choir from behind the lines … rather than bringing the fight to the Front where it belongs

3) A distinct lack of visible leadership … suffice it to say the egalitarian thing may work among enclosed and isolated women’s groups .. but out here in the real world strong and visible leadership is needed

Suffice it to say though round one last year was impressive .. these latest were riddled with too much youth with far too little experience too proud to go to their elders for advice who like myself have been thru this before …has relegated these marches to the status of who the __ gives a damn

Sad … considering the impact these marches could of had had they been done … right !!!

Nine … come on my friend …. by now y’all must realize you’s preaching to the choir who’s seen it all from leadership on the inside . Fact is I been on that crusade since GWB part 2 . e.g.

VOTE FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS … or else

But a correction my friend … cause y’alls missing three quarters of who our ‘ domestic enemies ‘ are .

.. they being … the white fundamentalists and the majority of white ecumenical mainstream and the white Roman/eastern Orthodox … christians … ( using that word very loosely with an intentional small case ‘c’ ) ..as well

Which is why I now prefer the term christofascists … which lumps em all together in one easily typed out word leaving no one out

I’d like to know what is the ‘or else’ in ‘vote for the lesser of two evils “or else.”‘

I realize that at the very least, ‘or else’ likely entails a steady barrage of abusive, narcissistic rhetoric. Will it also entail more threats to the security of whomever refuses to vote? And what else might be entailed in ‘or else?’

If you would be so kind, would you explain exactly why we are supposed to ‘vote for the lesser of two evils’ and thereby endorse evil? Why exactly is that claim supposed to be believed? Is there any objective standard to which we can look and say, ‘we know that it is necessary to vote for the lesser of two evils because’ followed by whatever reasons require it? In other words, TJ, what exactly MAKES that claim ‘true?’

Well Nine ole bean .. couldn’t agree more . Funny thing .. if those christofasicts would READ the damn Bible they claim to adhere to … they’d know that … problem is … they don’t .. what they do is READ INTO the Bible that which they wish to believe . Technically thats called . .. Proof Texting … which at least when I was in Seminary was the 2nd worst interpretive sin one could commit . Yet now its not only accepted by the status quo

So here’s a thought to chew on .

IF .. Christianity and the Bible is in fact God’s eternal Truth to man ( and I do believe it is )

Then why are these christofascists so damn afraid of anything … never mind a gay person .. or someone else having /performing an abortion .. destroying it ?

Suffice it to say thats the CliffNotes version … but thats my newest apologetic I’ve created to deal with these mindless sycophant fear addled christofascists

Nine … me culpa … it hit me right after I signed off that I really should of included the conclusion to the above apologetic … once again … the CliffNotes version .

So … after much wrangling .. them espousing their xenophobia , prejudices and fears … with them in the end holding firm to the opinion that in their minds Christianity and the Bible are coming under threat to the point of annihilation from any one of their self induced fears and outside forces ..

.. I simply end by stating ..

If Christianity and the Bible as you know it are as fragile and that susceptible to outside forces that can ultimately lead to its destruction as you claim it is …

…then Christianity and the Bible must not be the creation of an Infinite God and therefore must be false . Therefore .. Why are you wasting so much time money and effort which is only leading to division and destruction trying to defend that which by your own account must be false

( FYI ; I do alter the language and rhetoric to fit the specific individuals or audience I’m dealing with )

And brother …. you should see the looks on their faces once I’ve dropped that little bomb in their laps

FYI ; As Im sure Frank would agree … the above apologetic is deeply steeped within the apologetic teachings of Francis Schaeffer … along with a touch of Luther … a little Erasmus … a dash of Van Til …. and a fair amount of Augustine and Pauline apologetics

You define yourself as ‘progressive.’ Please define ‘progressive?’ Also, what does ‘make a difference’ mean?

It matters hugely whether we start with ‘what can we afford’ or ‘what do we need.’ Since we can afford pretty much anything, wouldn’t putting children first mean starting with ‘what do we need’ and allocating resources accordingly?

Platitudes are not policies. Care for the vulnerable and marginalized is a platitude. What policy solutions to the crises they face stand behind those words? How do you get those healthy, clean, safe, affordable places for people to live?

Your website commits to end college tuition for families making less than 125k/year. Thank you. Would you end charter schools and return misallocated monies back to public schools? Would you eliminate all existing college debt?

Private ownership of the means of production concentrates staggering sums of money in very few hands. While this persists, how do you propose to keep money out of politics?

How do you propose to end the ruinous cost of health care and medical prescriptions? Your website declares quality healthcare as a right. Would you end ‘for profit’ health care and abolish personally amassed healthcare debt?

You declare for sound, environmental practices. Would you expropriate the massive resources of global energy giants and put them under the democratic control of the working class?

If private health care is antithetical to America, why were social rights won at the price of worker blood in the 30s? How do you reply to the assertion that the defense against social rights rollback will likewise require worker blood?

The DNC rigged its own Convention to pick the Wall Street/Washington/Intelligence Community/Military consummate insider and then blamed the whole fiasco on Russia. Why would ‘outsiders’ align with such a Party?

Seems to me by all reasonable definition and deduction your revisionist definition of the term .. progressive … seems to imply more OF an immature , unrealistic , communistic zeitgeist masked beneath the cloak of liberation theology grounded in pure fantasy rather than based in any form of the reality ( of being fallen creatures in a fallen world ) we are all forced to contend with regardless of our fantasies and delusions

Reality check … Putin and his minions aligned themselves against Hilary Clinton out of pure unadulterated vengeance for all the actions and sanctions she took against Russia while secretary of state .. as well as the fact that unlike Trump … who is in bed with Putin and his whores … Hillary was willing to call a spade a spade when it comes to the truth of Russia not being ours nor anybody else’s allies

FYI get a grip … what the DNC did to Uncle Bernie pales in comparison to the GOP/RNC’s actions in regards to John McCain … both in his run for the GOP nomination against GWB … as well as his later presidential campaign

Once again leading to the same conclusion your immature self deluded pseudo intellectual little troll mind is incapable of comprehending … that being

WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE OF TWO EVILS ONLY .. ALWAYS VOTE FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS

PS; …the only epiphanies to be found within your insincere epiphany blessings … is the eventual epiphany anyone with a modicum of intelligence and discernment must come to ;

That being … you are a lying two faced insignificant little troll …who’s sole agenda is to sow division in order to benefit the other side

Clearly little one you are not ‘asking ‘ genuine and sincere questions but are instead insistent on propagating your cut and paste communistic posing as liberation theology agenda and propaganda under the guise of rhetorical questioning

As stated elsewhere your false accusations of my being afflicted by NPD are irrelevant due to a complete lack of evidence … therefore the reality is I have no need for a ‘ narcissistic supply ‘ nor do I crave it … what ever a ‘ narcissistic supply ‘ might equate to wha ever within your revisionist alternative reality mindset mind be

The fact that I do happen to occasionally derive and enjoy a certain amount of guilty pleasure by the act of crushing blatant and outright hypocrisy in its tracks … as well as exposing trolls such as yourself regardless of the intent or agenda … only proves me to be both a responsible as well as informed , discerning and intelligent human being … as well as being in good company with the likes of Francis Schaeffer – Dr Walter Martin – St Paul – Augustine – G.K. Chesterton – C.S.Lewis – Martin Luther – Erasmus – Van Til etc – et al

Do you not realize within the depths of your hypocrisy and pseudo intellectual pretense of liberation theology that the insincere offering of any blessing .. never mind a specific calendar blessing … is by definition …

…a Mortal Sin by any and all churches ?

So might I heartily recommend you prostrate yourself before what ever alter you bow down before begging for what ever god you worship’s forgiveness … along with begging each and everyone of us for forgiveness as well ..

.. both for the insincerity of your blessings … as well as your lies … intentional misinformation .. divisive tactics .. as well as completely misrepresenting who and what you really are .

” Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a grievous affliction. As I see it, you are an extremely sick human individual. Get help ”

So now the neo-communist troll pretending to be a liberation theologian thinks its an expert in abhorrent human psychology

Well little one … you might want to take the time to look up the definition and symptoms of NPD before falsely accusing another of being afflicted by the malady in light of the fact that I no where in any one my comments or replies have ever exhibited so much as a hint of NPD

Whereas you … steeped within the depths of your hypocrisies and lies ? Suffice it to say you display all the known attributes of a pathetic insignificant internet troll

This is pretty much what you’re about. Isn’t it. And I don’t believe that this is the first time you’ve been saddled with the other ‘N’ word. Have you been excommunicated? Reformed polity is covenantal from start to finish. You don’t get to withdraw voluntarily any more than you get to enter it voluntarily. Are you under ecclesial discipline because of behaviors related to your Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Are you not involved in the life of a church because you are an unrepentant narcissist?

Narcissists don’t use linguistic convention as do others. For narcissists, language is a means to garnish narcissistic supply to nourish the false self and the world that the narcissist creates around that false self. And symptoms of your illness are abundantly clear from your many posts.

Your repeated use of the word ‘realize’ [3x on this page alone] positions you to lecture everyone around you as a means of garnishing narcissistic supply. Denied the special recognition you believe you rightly deserve, you slip into thinly-veiled narcissistic rage and produce such screeds as you do.

The fact is, it isn’t enough for you to be expert in your area. It isn’t even enough for you to be expert in any area you care to address. To garner the narcissistic supply to which you are addicted – for you are an addict – you must be recognized for such ‘expertise,’ and you must be SEEN to be ascendant in every exchange.

That’s why anyone with the audacity to contradict your false self must be destroyed. Disagreement with you constitutes an attack on your false self which you must then protect with all your might. And it is evident in post after post after post after post. If there is one thing narcissists do, it is project. And no one is more a target for gaslighting and projection and other weapons of the narcissist than those who contradict or expose them.

TJ Martin’s Russian text can be translated to say ‘I know who you are.’ This can be construed as cyber stalking. I’m not going to take this to Go Daddy at this point, but as site administrator you should be aware of the import of Mr. Martin’s words.

Is that really the best you’re capable of ? I mean .. what with your ongoing pretense of pseudo intellectualism , moral superiority and holier than thou attitudes and platitudes .. I’d of thought at least a reasonable response and/or challenge would of been forthcoming rather than immature vapid and inane little quips .

…. in as far as your pathetic attempt to drag the conversation into the black hole of existentialism … might I remind you that the only logical conclusion of existentialism is nihilism … and that the only logical conclusion if one is to be a logically consistent nihilist is self annihilation ( suicide )

Despite the obvious depths of your blatant hypocrisy I still find it interesting that you somehow within the abyss of your pseudo intellectual delusions are able to consider tired worn out failed communist manifesto rhetoric and agendas as somehow being …

Progressive .

Hmmm …

Welcome to the big leagues sparky

May you be consumed by your own hypocrisies … and heresies

And ahh… as I said many times in the past to our former Alt Right Troll GB …

Thanks for playing ! A worthy opponent you are not … but you do provide a modicum of entertainment with your intellectual inability and ineptitude

Errr .. no Nine … twas Russia .. beyond any shadow of a doubt ….. according to …

The CIA FBI MI6 MI5 Interpol etc etc etc . Fact is every democratic governments intelligence communities are in agreement … not only DID Russia interfere and help rig our elections .. but they tried to do the same across all of the EU and UK … with France the Netherlands etc actually doing something about it before hand rather than complaining about it afterwards like we did

And ahh … Nine .. suffice it to say though not there yet … you are creeping up upon a latent anti semitism … which neither suits you …. nor behoves you . Cause suffice it to say … the Mossad has nothing to do with our elections … in fact .. Trump was the polar opposite of the outcome those within the Mossad would of hoped for . They did not care much for Clinton … but they despise Trump with a passion .

And that’s the rub. All 17 US Intelligence Agencies lined up behind the ‘Russian hacking’ claim. But ‘according to’ isn’t demonstration. Who makes the assertion or how many times it is made sustains no semantic and therefore no logical relationship to the proposition at hand. It is an irrelevant thesis. A false claim repeated 10,000 times by 10,000 agencies is still a false claim. What do we have?

Jan 6, 2017, the NYT published an unclassified summary of a highly sensitive assessment from US ‘intelligence and law enforcement agencies.’ For the hullabaloo it created, the document text doesn’t even claim that the un-redacted text contains evidence supporting its conclusions but that is withheld for security reasons. But the Times presented ZERO evidence for assertions that would stand in a US court. Read through it and you find ambiguous phrases like ‘we assess,’ ‘we believe,’ ‘we assess with high confidence.’ So again, we are supposed to believe it because we are supposed to believe it. Don’t believe me? Find the document here!

Not a solitary fact supports evidence of ‘direct orders’ from Putin, or that hackers linked to Russian intelligence raided Democrat email accounts, or that they supplied material to WikiLeaks, or that hackers tried to access voter databases, or computers of local election officials. By whom or on what authority was this alleged operation initiated? Who has indicated its nature, the means used, how this campaign was conducted and the like? The accusations hang in mid-air.

So again, we are supposed to believe it because we are supposed to believe it. But why would we do that? Is it because James Clapper, then director of national intelligence, says so? Why would we believe him? Clapper is a perjurer, who lied under oath to the US Senate Judiciary Committee in March of 2013 when asked point blank if the government was carrying out large-scale surveillance of private communications. Clapper’s word is worthless. Yet Hillary Clinton cited him when she declared Putin’s personal involvement. Where’s the proof? Where’s the proof? Where’s the proof?

Some of that material is humorous [p 14 on the cloud document, p 4 in the original]. ‘Russia used trolls as well as RT as part of its influence efforts to denigrate Secretary Clinton.’ Imagine – professional trolls harassing political candidates! This is in a highly sensitive, classified document because … ?

Ever since the WikiLeaks disclosure, it’s been like this: literally in minutes, major news outlets plus commentators/talking heads take up the same line and same language on a given political attack. The ‘hacking’ claim is declared ‘proven,’ and abusive rhetoric is heaped on anyone with the audacity to reserve private judgment, let alone to dissent. And the whole campaign has been handled in that way.

The ‘Russian interference’ claim is also the ultimate political irony. Professor Dov Levin [Carnegie-Mellon] assembled a data documenting 81 cases between 1946 and 2000 in which Washington interfered with foreign elections, including nominal allies.

Moreover, the White House and President Clinton made a herculean effort to reelect Boris Yeltsin in 1996. He needed help! The team [Joe Shumate, George Gorton and Richard Dresner] Washington tasked and sent to put in the ‘fix’ had to work with a despised candidate who’s positive ratings were lower and negative ratings higher than Joseph Stalin.

You can read the whole sordid story in a 10 page article from the July 15, 1996 Time Magazine. Elections – US style! LOL!

PS; In as far as Peace in the Middle East overall is concerned . Place all conspiracy theories about the Mossad aside … focusing instead on the genuine culprits in the room .

They being the Arms Industry and Big Oil … neither of which would benefit from peace in the Middle East … and both of which profit greatly by the lack of it .

Add to that when it comes to the Israel Palestinian conflict … both need each other to be the enemy .. in fact are desperate for it to be so … in order to justify their existence … and both are damned and determined to keep it that way

I heard the “rapture” sermon when I was in my home town with family and who other then an “intel” agency would seed such doctrine in the church as its to that country one can not criticize’s bennifit as my Jewish friends are appalled by what goes on in Israel and all vote for the dems.

Yes the arms industry is the ultimate culprit yet Mossad’s motto “by deception we wage war” as they steer that great American whore to the next Middle East war and why not as get those dumb Americans to do it!

Like I said America first and Israel do as they please without our money or military and if I am an anti-Semite for such a view I am in good company like Roger Waters…

Nine .. once again .. you’re trying to preach to the choir … and a rather informed choir at that who has been on the forefront of criticizing what is called the Zionist Heresy for over three decades ( well before Frank even became aware of its existence I might add )

And may I remind you that though no Zionist .. I am a Jew ( by heritage .. not by faith )

Fact is the Mossad is incapable of steering the US … as was proven during Clinton and Obama’s terms in office . And Roger Waters would take great offense to your analogy …. trust me .. this I know first hand

Here’s a simple reality to live by … rather than in the vain pursuit of of gnostic knowledge … chasing down each and every conspiracy theory in the pursuit of the alt and revisionist facts … try ignoring the hype and manufactured lies and propaganda … and instead look at the obvious .

e.g. …………. MONEY

Fact – The majority within the GOP as well as the RNS itself are heavily invested in the Arms Industry and Big Oil

Fact – Peace in the Middle East would be detrimental to the profits of the Arms and Oil industry

Fact – Therefore it is against the interests of the majority of GOP’s as well as the RNC itself for there to be peace in the Middle East

Fact – The GOP/RNC in the process of playing the christofascist right like a cheap violin to the RNC/GOP’s benefit have adapted the chrisofacist Zionist Heresy as a means to continue to justify their goal of there never being being in the Middle East

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY .. when it comes to Israel and the Israeli / Palestinian conflict …

NEITHER SIDE WANTS PEACE with one another … nor does either side desire even so much as a reasonable resolution .

In closing Nine .. social media is BS who’s sole goal regardless of its stated intentions is blatant Ayn Rand(ian( profit ( profit at any cost ) … and not a reliable source of information

…. and trust me Nine … of all the members of Pink Floyd who’s company you definitely DO NOT want to be included in … not to mention that company being anything but good … Roger Waters tops the list *

Rick Wright was a mensch and gem extraordinaire ( when not substance addled ) .. Nick Mason is a hoot … David Gilmour is the kindly introverted intellectual and musical genius who is most likely mildly autistic … whereas Waters is the self absorbed verging on egomaniacal one who has allowed his somewhat tragic past ( his father dying in WWII as a child ) affect , impact , determine and control far too much of his adult life and decisions … many of which have been absurd to the point of outright immaturity

And granted within the context of Pink Floyd Roger created some of the most intriguing and long lasting music in rock history ( FYI I’m a dyed in the wool Prog Rock fan ) …once he left he has become all but irrelevant … and even more angry and arrogant … to the point I feel sometimes of self delusion and destruction

Ahhh …. but the reality is … never meet your heroes / idols … fact is … we’re all SOB’s of one kind or another

* Full Discloser – Roger’s anti Israel comments have no bearing on my overall opinions of the man … they were formed well before his most recent controversies … though I do wish he’d learn to distinguish between the blatantly hawkish Zionist faction in Israel versus the State of Israel and the Jewish faith within … aiming his vitriol at that which deserves it … that being … Zionism